If you are looking for a quiet homestay in the middle of nature very close to a river and two of the forest reserve entrances, please choose Vini Villa. Being a solo traveller, I really appreciated Vini's and his family's friendliness and hospitality. They will always make sure to cater to their guests' every needs. Food was plentiful and delicious. Vini, the owner, is also very knowledgeable about the forest and animals that live around his home village and will be happy to show you around the rain forest and its many wonders if you wish so. I really enjoyed my time at Vini Villa's for 10 days and the many hikes I went on in the forest and around the village. I wish I could have stayed longer. It was hard to say bye to Vini and his lovely family.

I really enjoyed my experience at Vini Villa's and have nothing to complain about.

The location was perfect for me next to the Rain Forest. There are plenty of birds around the accomodation that you can photograph like Chestnut headed Bee-eaters and Red-backed Woodpeckers. The facilities are quite simple and basic, but everything you need is there. Vini is a very helpful host who will be glad to assist with guiding and other things if he is available.

There was nothing to complain about.

Friendly, welcoming, accommodating, exceptional views from the room. amazing home cooked food and wonderful family.

Vinnie's place is a special place in the middle of the jungle. Starting the day in front of the river every morning is an amazing experience. Vinny showed us the place where he lives, took us a night trip to the jungle forest and also to the waterfalls in the area. Those looking for a place to rest and marvel at amazing views - this is the place.

A stream of hot water is not that strong, but you can get used to it

lovely place close to entrance, beautiful surroundings

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Very beautiful place to stay for seeing the rainforest. Vini is an excellent guide and spots all kind of animals when you go with him in the park or in the village area. He also helped us with transport and other arrangements. His wife cooks the best rice and curry in Sri Lanka! The food comes always in very big portions and that for a very reasonable price. For dessert you can eat the very delicious curd with honey from the palm tree, which Vini climbs every day. The location at the river is fantastic. As a wildlife enthusiast there is always something to see in the garden. But very surprisingly there are no mosquitoes at all. The rooms were very clean and had a lot of space. From the terrace we had a nice view on the river. All in all we had a wonderful stay!

I recently stayed at a villa next to the Sinharaja rainforest and was blown away by the experience. The care and attention to detail was outstanding, and the local food cooked by Vini's wife was the best we tasted in Sri Lanka. Our host Vini was a fantastic guide, taking us on a breathtaking walk through the rainforest and sharing his extensive knowledge of the local plants and animals. The villa is located on the banks of the Gin Genga river and offer stunning wildlife viewing, from bee eaters and kingfishers to troops of monkeys. I highly recommend this eco lodge for anyone looking for a unique and memorable experience in the heart of Sri Lanka's rainforest

• very clean place • nice bathroom • people super friendly • trip to jungle, just amazing :D

The location is overwhelming! In the middle of the jungle you can find this little paradise with Vini and his lovely family. We were lucky to get an upgrade to the new room Vini recently finished. Great new beds with a luxury bathroom and with big window facade for the breath taking view at the jungle. Vini is also your sertified private guide for the national park with many years of experience. It's a small walk to get there. Even for my children of 7 and 9 years old. His wife Sonita cooks the greatest Sri Lankan meals with only fresh products and it was always way too much for a very reasonable price. Vini also offers to pick you up from your previous location so keep that in mind when considering your means of transportation.

We only booked one night. That is too short for this lovely place.

Vini and his whole family are really caring about their guests and try to fulfill every wish. Our experience in the jungle with Vini as a guide was very special. We will never forget it.

Leaches in the rainy season. Vini tried his best to keep them away from us.

Great place, close to nature, helpful owner. We had everything we needed. Vini knows how to look for animals, I am not talking about the typical tourist litter, he can find animals at night and more. My 8-year-old daughter got a fishing rod from him and she was fishing. The food was very good, he organized the necessary things from the store upon request. Honest man. It's a pity we didn't have more time. I recommend this place to all nature lovers.

Everything was fine.

Amazing stay at picturesque place. Vini is a devoted host with an unique knowledge of the Sinharaja forrest, as he has shown us while guiding tour to the reserve. Moreover, Vini's wife prepares delicious food ;).

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Amazing experience at vinis deep in the rainforest. Hospitality, location and help from vini (including two guided walks around the sinharaja forest, and transfers) is unmatched at this price range.

Vini and his family have just the perfect place for your stay near Sinharaja Forest.! The room is clean and spacious and offer a beautiful view on the river, we even tried fishing there!! The family is super lovely and will cook you the best Sri Lankan food for breakfast/lunch/dinner (the prices are good too:) We've done the forest tour with Vini too and it was magical, he's so enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Can't recommend this place enough, can't wait to be back next time I'm in Sri Lanka.!

Vini's place is incredible - walking distance from the Sinharaja reserve, but also filled with animal diversity nearby like birds, monkeys and lizards! We felt really welcomed by Vini and his lovely family and they gave us the perfect experience. Vini arranged everything we needed, including a pick-up and drop-off in Deniyaya, breakfast, lunch, dinner (wonderful food cooked by his wife - and they have a kitchen which is useful for those who want to cook themselves). The wifi was perfect and the room was really clean with towels, hot water, fan and a hammock outside where I could lie and watch the bee-eater birds fly close by (there's a nest in the garden below). Vini is also a guide, so he took us on a night trek to explore the evening insects and reptiles near his home, and he took us on a day trip to the Sinharaja biosphere reserve. I highly, highly recommend choosing him as your guide as he will give you all the time you want to enjoy exploring and will make sure you don't miss any animals. He is very knowledgable about the local wildlife, medicinal plants and culture, and there is a waterfall where you can swim on the way! The perfect ending to a hike in the jungle. He will also help you take some cool photos with the animals if that's your thing. On the Saturday evening, he even took us for a dinner and to the local carnival to celebrate my partners birthday, and we had a great time - we were sad to leave Vini's peaceful, beautiful place but we will definitely return. If you are looking for an authentic time in the rainforest surrounded by nature and lovely people, Vini is your guy.

Vini is the perfect host and makes you feel like home. His wife cook delicious rice and curry and the huts are simple but perfect. You can relax right next to a river and there are no mosquitoes! I highly recommend the villa to anyone who loves nature and tranquility:) Thanks Vini for the fantastic days!

Vini is an excellent host who makes sure you have everything you need. He guided us through the jungle which was great. The location is perfect next to a river in the jungle.

It is a quite place near the entrance to Sinharaja Forest Reserve. We liked the view from our house to jungles and a river a lot. Vini is the host, but works also as a guide and went with us to 12 km tracking up to the hills and waterfalls. The jungles were incredible! Vini's wife cooked for us traditional sri lankan food, it was a bit different then in touristic places and even more interesting for us. We were with a 1 year baby and it was very comfortable to stay at Vini's house. Vini also showed us how to quickly collect a palm's honey from 15m tree). I glad that I met with Vini and his family.

Breakfast is excellent and nice location.

There is no such thing!

This was our second stay and we were very happy to return! Vini Villa is a delightful family run business set right on the river front. Vini takes the lead with communication & his wife Suneetha, 2 lovely daughters and one son. provide the meals. There’s nowhere really near to eat so we had 1/2 board with lunch one day. Delicious rice & curry, vegetarian, chicken & fish options. We primarily had the veggie curries, they were different & very tasty. Vini is very hospitable. He doubles up as a tour guide in the Sinharaja forest and took us for a great walk & swim in the waterfalls! He is very knowledgeable & keeps a close eye open for flora & fauna of interest, Very comfortable beds, good hot showers, clean basic accommodation, exactly as one would expect in the rainforest! We hope to return next time we visit Sri Lanka Thank you for making our stay so special 🙏🏻

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we got the deluxe room with a beautiful river view. it’s very clean with great wifi. there is a fan (no ac) but the room doesn’t get very hot. Food is very good and portions are huge. the owner vini is also a registered guide and we booked him for a 7 hike. we went very slow and he did a great job showing us interesting plants, animals, and insects. we saw a scorpion, large lizard, viper, monkeys, etc. we swam in a waterfall. the family is very thoughtful and sweet and always a step ahead to make sure we were comfortable.

If you are a nature lover,this is the best place you should be.....I spent some wonderful days at Vini Villa. The view and landscape is something special-amazing - the villas are right inside the rain forest!!!! And the balcony on the riverbank it was something I really enjoyed. VINI - the owner of this lovely place, its an amazing man, an excellent jungle guide, professional, generous, and very friendly. Vini's wife cooks very tasty food, just ask. The tour through the forest was great. Vini did everything to show us all existing animals and plants and the most beautiful spots. On my second day he organised my trek to Lion Rock with a packed lunch and guide. It was all wonderful day. So.........awesome place, food and people. Highly recommended for everyone who is searching for an adventure in the middle of the Sinharaja rainforest. Thank you very much.

Nice quiet place situated directly on the bank of Gin Ganga river, run by lovely family. Great food, hospitality and very well guided tracks in sinharaja forest. Highly recomended

We stayed for two nights with Vini and his family and for us, it was the best time we had during our 4 weeks trip around Sri Lanka (February 2020). Vini Villa is located within the Sinharaja rain forest and so the arrival was an adventure by itself (Vini is the best contact for organising a suitable transport). The rooms are quite new and very clean - directly located beneath a river where you can also hop in for a little refreshment or try to catch an eel in the evening (which actualy worked). The whole family gave us a very warm welcome and his wife is a great cook - best eel curry I had in my life. Vini was born and raised in the small village and so it's quite obvious that he is an excellent guide for visiting the rain forest. He offers a lot of different trips but we decided the have a short trip during night time and a longer one in daylight. Our main focus was spotting animals and take pictures. Vini is awesome at finding even the smallest lizards, spiders and snakes, that I couldn't hardly see when he was directly pointing at it :) At the end of the 5 houres day trip we finished at a cosy waterfall, where we could take a very welcome bath and we were lucky that nobody was there but us. The worst thing about our stay was the moment when we had to leave again. Unfortunately the rest our holiday was already planned, otherwise we surely would have stayed longer. So if we ever come back to this beautiful country, Vini and his family will be for sure on our itinerary!

Nothing to complain about.

We had a such a great time. Vini's place is so beautiful, quite, very clean and comfortable with wonderful nature around. Vini and his family are so friendly and kind, they help you with everything and make your stay even better. We had a great night walk and a fantastic trekking day. All in all the perfect stay! And a must do on every Sri Lanka travel, when you look for beautiful nature and time to relax. Thank you for everything!

Vini helped us to organize the transport from Ahangama to Vini Vila and later on to Ella - he was so supportive and helpful! The house is located in the middle of the rain forest. A really special place! Perfect to enjoy the beautiful nature. The tour through the forest was great. Vini did everything to show us all existing animals and plants and the most beautiful spots. The breakfast was great and his wife and family are very lovely people! Vini is a great host :-)

We especially enjoy the motorbike trip through the rainforest to reach his home but maybe Vini should mention this last part of the journey upfront in case there are guests that are not comfortable with this?!